PHP RFC: Name of Next Release of PHP

• Version: 1.0.1
• Date: 2014-07-05 (latest 2014-07-06)
• Author: Andrea Faulds, ajf@ajf.me
• Status: Under Discussion
• First Published at: http://wiki.php.net/rfc/php6

There has been some debate over what the name of the next major release of PHP, to succeed the PHP 5.x series, should be called. This RFC is an attempt to settle the matter once and for all.

Unlike most RFCs, this deals with a release process issue, and not with extending PHP itself.

This RFC proposes that the next major release of PHP, to succeed the PHP 5.x series, shall be named PHP 6.

PHP 6 is the most obvious name choice as it follows the existing numbering scheme. Do we really need to break from it?

The main argument against this is that there was previously a project, which was abandoned in 2010, also called PHP 6. There have been many discussions about it in the past and some books and articles dealing with it exist, and this could cause confusion. Essentially, we would be naming a new version with the same name as a previous, but never properly released and abandoned version. A little looking at Amazon reveals that some of these “PHP 6” books do not actually cover PHP 6 at all, and many of the books are of poor quality. Furthermore, I expect that we could easily clarify if necessary that this PHP 6 was not the subject of those books, and I think that much would be obvious to users given that the new PHP 6 would be released in 2015 at the very earliest, more than 5 years after all existing “PHP 6” books would have been published.

In past discussions, “PHP 7” has also been suggested as a name, to make it clear that this new version of PHP is unrelated to the old “PHP 6”. However, it has been argued that it would not reduce confusion (people would wonder why the version 6 was skipped), and that people who would be likely to fall for “PHP 6” books might look for PHP 7 books, be unable to find them, and end up buying the old “PHP 6” books as they would seem, by the version number, to be the most up-to-date.

Another point that has been made is that due to online reviews, it would quickly become clear that these old “PHP 6” books do not cover the new PHP 6; people would likely try them, find the code in the book did not work, and rate the book “1 star”, deterring other customers. Furthermore, the PHP community would likely try to dissuade people from buying these old “PHP 6” books. Some also question how many of the old “PHP 6” books are still in print, for that matter.

Finally, with the release of the new PHP 6, new, better, accurate PHP 6 books and articles would end up being released which would hopefully supplant the old ones.

I propose a 2/3 majority straight yes/no vote. If the result is yes, PHP 6 is the name of the next major release. If the result is no, then the matter is still not settled.

• Internals list: About PHP6 (April '14)
• Amazon search for "PHP6" books